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February 12, 2012

Looks like Linden Lab has changed their ToS/Privacy Policy. Without warning. Again. This one raises a couple of questions, too. When you login now, you get presented with this little window:

So, here's the first thing I noticed. Yesterday I checked out the new Firestorm release and did not get that window. I only heard about this new policy this morning when I dropped in to InWorldz for my morning coffee, so I checked it out with Imprudence, which is when I got that window. So, why didn't it show up with Firestorm? Looks like the developers at Firestorm have simply complied with Linden Lab's new policy. Without informing us, the users.

There's something else about that policy that is setting off the alarm bells in my head. Its the quotes around the words 'statistics packet'. People tend use that to mean its like something, but isn't actually that something. That is, its sort of like a statistics packet, but it isn't an actual statistics packet. So, what is it? And how large is that packet? If you pay by bandwidth usage, sending that info every 5 minutes could add up to a hefty increase in your ISP bill.

And then there's the fact that the window names only Imprudence, which seems to me that LL is targeting viewers that aren't wholly oriented on SL, the way Firestorm is. The Phoenix/Firestorm developers have said in the past that SL is their focus, that OpenSim is secondary.

And there's no opt out. Its comply or don't enter. And if you choose not to, then you will have to abandon everything you have in SL.

Its likely safe to go ahead and comply, but still, in this world of "the information you give us belongs to us" attitude, this is one more thing to be aware of. And what about those people who don't get the heads-up? Shouldn't they be informed?

This is just more of Linden lab's attitude towards its users. High prices, lack of service, buggy upgrades and no-choice compliance.